2015 MayMonthly Archive

I was recently lucky enough to spend almost a week in South Korea and let me tell you, if it's not on your list of places to visit it should be! The people, the culture, the food...all of it was amazing and I barely scratched the surface. I spent most of my time in Seoul but also made it down to the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju and up to the Demilitarized Zone at the border of North Korea. You can see my foodie itinerary here that I created before going but now I want to share a photo journey through some of my self-created favorite food adventures. I say "self-created" food adventures because I also took an amazing guided food tour while in Seoul which you can see here. I also shared a video you can view here from the Noryangjin Fish Market where you'll get to see us eat live baby octopus among other amazing treats fresh from the sea!
If this all tickles your appetite or curiosity about this amazing country then make sure to check out all of my South Korea photos here. Happy visual feasting!
First up, a late night binge on Seoul street food just steps from my hotel! Clock-wise from the top left...squid chips, egg bread, me slurping on the bright red Tteokbokki, the stall selling Tteokbokki and Fish Cake Skewers (in a most delicious broth!) and a pork dumpling. If you've never had Tteokbokki this bright red one is the street food version that is super popular with locals...basically a super thick rice noodle chopped into bite-size pieces and slathered in a bright red spicy-sweet sauce. Super yummy...so much so I brought a bag home of the chip-like junk food version of it! One other must-try that's not pictured here (and is perfect for street food dessert!) are Hotteok...little fried, filled pancakes. The Honey Hotteok was my favorite. So yummy.
My first breakfast in Seoul...Haejangguk, better known as Hangover Stew. This is a rich, hearty stew made of beef broth, cabbage, bean sprouts, tripe and chunks of congealed ox blood. It's served with scallions, kkakduji (radish kimchi - one of my favorites) and rice. First, let me say, I was definitely the only non-local at one of the more well-known spots, Cheongjinok (19, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul) that I had to really go out of my way to find and most locals I asked about this or told I tried this almost fell off their chairs. This is legit...so much so that they are not expecting some petite American girl to be interested in it, apparently! It seems, even that most of the

I'm back from my whirlwind 2 week tour through Vietnam and South Korea! I'm not quite ready to share all of my foodie photos and stories just yet, but wow...what an amazing trip. Despite how many great things I've heard about Vietnam I was still completely blown away. So much so that I already know I want to go back again...and that's incredibly rare for me to say since there are still so many new places to explore! Then South Korea completely exceeded my expectations in terms of food, people and Seoul being one of the cleanest and safest cities I've ever visited.

While there were certainly many non-food highlights from both portions of my trip, you are in for a treat with my upcoming posts about the incredible food I ate while traveling. From traditional dishes like pho and bibimbap to the adventurous indulgences of fertilized duck embryos and live baby octopus still squirming and suctioning as I put them in my mouth! I'll also be sharing my first new SavoryGirl video in almost three years. I honestly can't believe it's been that long...but this will be a great one to get videos back in the rotation again.

In the meanwhile, the photo collage above is a sneak preview...consider it the many happy faces of SavoryGirl eating her way through Vietnam and South Korea! This is truly me at my happiest: exploring new cultures, trying new foods, meeting new people and making great new memories from around the world that will last a lifetime. Stay tuned, lots more adventures from Vietnam and South Korea to come!